The Complicated Task of Buying a Hairdryer

So I needed a hairdryer. After a week I was getting pretty tired of standing by the heater at night to let my hair air dry so I didn't have to walk out in the 30-40 degree F weather in the morning with my hair wet. Buying a hairdryer...simple task, right? Not in Brazil! Since I don't speak Portuguese my wonderful grade partner, Connie, offered to go to the mall with me. The hairdryers were sold in an appliance store where they sell kitchen appliances, washers, and refrigerators. Weird. In my mind I thought I could walk into the store look at the hairdryers on the shelf, pick out the one I wanted, and go pay for it....that's not how things work here. After looking at the models on display behind locked glass, Connie told the guy which one I wanted. He wrote it down and ushered us over to the computer where he proceeded to ask me all types of questions. I had to provide my CPF number (which is like a social security number), provide my name, address, and pretty much everything short of giving a DNA sample. Next, I was told to go to the caixa (cashier) to pay. I handed the cashier my slip of paper and paid for the hairdryer. She stamped my receipt paid. Then I had to walk over to another area of the store to hand the guy my paid receipt to actually PICK UP my hairdryer. Finally after almost 45 minutes I had my hairdryer in my hands!